


Can I Kill Him, Just a Little?

by Kateera



Series: All In a Summer [8]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 14:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11830212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: Jim returns home from vacation and Oswald is ready to have life go back to normal. Jim has other ideas.





	Can I Kill Him, Just a Little?

**Author's Note:**

> This hotel internet is the pits! Anyway, here is the next part of my Summer series! Written for the #GobblepotSummer2017 prompt, Sunburn.   
> I still have no beta and I wrote this on my iPad so I apologize for any mistakes!  
> Thank you for reading and please, leaving a comment just makes my day!

Oswald paced back and forth in front of Jim's house, the time for their arrival back from Arizona repeating like a mantra in his head. Jim's nosy neighbor already came out to ask him what he was doing, her tone making it obvious that she thought he was only there to start trouble. He gave the usual, "Jim is a friend from school" answer and she huffed but didn't have any reason to call the GCPD. With a dark scowl on her face, she'd stalked back to her side of the fence.

He could have cheered at the sight of a taxi cab pulling up to the driveway. Racing to the car, he held open the door for Jim's mother and she graced him with a smile.

"You're such a polite boy, Waldo. Thank you," Laura said with a pat to his arm. "Be a dear and help the boys unpack the car. I need to take an aspirin."

Giving her retreating form a glare, Oswald turned around and saw Roger and Jim pulling bags out of the trunk while the driver smoked from his seat. When the last bag was out of the car, the driver took off with a squeal of tires. Oswald would have written down his license plate for a little revenge but the shock of Jim's appearance overrode his senses. With his face and arms the color of strawberries, Jim looked tired and miserable and he moved as if his skin hurt.

Oswald gasped loudly. "What in the heck happened to you?"

With a glare at Roger, Jim said, "Someone thought I hadn't tanned enough over the last week."

"Hey, it's not my fault you fell asleep in the sun," Roger shot back, grabbing his bags from the pile and heading to the house. "You should've been more careful."

"You moved my shade, asshat!" Jim shouted, shaking his head as Roger shrugged and disappeared into the house. He turned back to Oswald and the disgust on his face melted into a grin. "Did you miss me?"

Oswald shook his head and grabbed the large suitcase, groaning at the weight. "Not in the least. Mr. Gilzean gave me a new block to cover so I've been too busy to miss anyone."

Jim clucked his tongue. "Darn, cause I missed you like crazy. Guess I can go back to Arizona then."

"Don't you dare!" Oswald cried and Jim threw his head back and laughed.

Oswald wrinkled his nose. "Sheesh, okay, no offense, but you look like the Red Rampager from Dark Souls."

At Jim's crestfallen face, Oswald dropped the heavy suitcase and threw his arms around him. "Sorry, sorry! I mean, the Red Rampager is cool though!"

"Thanks Os, it's been the week from hell with Roger is all." Feeling Jim place gentle hands on his back, Oswald exhaled a breath of relief and clutched tighter.

Jim winced and he jumped back. "Sorry!"

Laughing and patting Oswald on the shoulder, Jim gestured to his torso. "It's alright. This sunburn is a bitch though."

"I could take care of your problem for you," Oswald said, rubbing his hands together and cackling. "He could be sleeping with the fishes by morning."

It felt good to hear Jim laugh again, even if the humor was a little morbid.

"I'll think about it," Jim said after he could breathe again.

With his friend home in one, slightly crispy, piece, Oswald could relax and stop worrying about losing Jim to his Aunt Cecile and all her horses. Life could get back to normal.

They hauled the bags in, Jim's mother making sure to thank him, or rather, thank Waldo, for his help. Jim put his hand over Oswald's mouth before he had a chance to say something rude and they ran up to Jim's room, passing a scowling Roger on the way.

"Wow, your brother hates me even more than before," Oswald said as the door closed. "I didn't think that was possible."

"He's just upset that I had a friend waiting for me when I got home. No one cared enough to come see him," Jim said with a smug smile.

Oswald blushed. "I tried waiting at home but mother was in a crafting mood. I had to get out before she decided that I'd look better with a lace trim."

Laughing and dropping down on his mattress, Jim spread his arms and legs out with a sigh. "I missed my bed."

Oswald sat down on the floor next to the bed and pulled out the controls for the gaming system. He set about putting their favorite game, Halo, into the system and logging in.

"By the way, Hector put up an entire monologue about us in the forum," Oswald said and grinned at Jim's snort. "He misspelled so many words, I had to stop reading but, apparently, we cheat to win and still live with our mothers."

Jim gave another snort. "Well, at least he got that part right." Jim sat up and leaned against his bed's headboard. "It's Halo; doesn't this guy have anything better to do than complain about us? We haven't been playing all week!"

"He's got a few people convinced we got kicked out because of our cheating," Oswald said, his grin turning wicked as he held out a second controller. "Care to make him pay?"

Jim's answering smile made Oswald's heart thump and his palms sweat. Even burned and tired, Jim still looked like heaven to him.

"Come up here to the bed, I'm too sore to sit on the floor." Jim patted the mattress beside him.

Oswald swallowed hard as he climbed into the bed and sat next to Jim, their shoulder's brushing in the narrow space.

"This good?"

"Perfect," Jim said, his smile widening as he stared at Oswald.

_He's trying to kill me._

Giving a controller to Jim, Oswald did his best to ignore how close they were, how wonderful he smelled, and how utterly panicked he felt being next to him in bed.

Two hours passed with the nerve wracking tension swirling inside him. They spent the first hour soundly beating Hector and his band of irritating followers, then moved to a different server and joined another team on a few rescue missions. Oswald hit the power button when Jim began twitching.

"Do you need something for the pain" Oswald asked with a frown. "Does your mom have any aloe?"

Jim nodded. "Bathroom medicine cabinet I think."

Oswald raced down the hall to the bathroom. _I could kill Roger for this._

Opening the medicine cabinet, Oswald grabbed the bottle of blue colored aloe as well as a small pill bottle marked ibuprofen.

"What are you doing in here? Stealing pills?"

Oswald turned to see a scowling Roger leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He wanted to gouge his eyes out, slit the pads of his fingers open, or pour acid down his throat.

"I'm here because Jim has a dick for a brother," Oswald said, waving the aloe in Roger's face. "Now move so I can help my friend, since his family can't be bothered."

Roger grabbed his arm. "This isn't your house, Oddball. Watch your mouth."

"Watch your own." Oswald spat back, yanking his arm back and pushing past Roger. "I'll say what I like to a dick who can't think of anyone else but himself."

Before Roger could say another word, Oswald was down the hallway and back in Jim's room.

"Can I kill him, just a little?" Oswald asked, climbing back onto the bed and handing the aloe gel over to Jim.

Jim patted his arm while Oswald huffed. "He's my brother and I love him, so no. Besides, so long as he's around, mom doesn't focus on me with her 'why don't you do more for this family' nonsense."

"Fine." Oswald sighed. "But the minute you change your mind, I call dibs."

"Sounds fair." Jim reached up and squeezed Oswald's shoulder. "You're amazing for putting up with him. Usually people meet him once and then it's 'let's just hang out in town'."

"Idiots."

Jim stared at the bottle of blue gel in his hand and Oswald searched his previous statements to see if he'd said anything insulting. Jim didn't say anything for so long that finally, with a shaking hand, Oswald touched his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a timid voice, a voice usually only used with his mother.

"Yeah, I'm just trying to be brave." Jim gave him a shaky smile and Oswald's heart stopped.

"Was it something I did? I can fix it, I swear!" Panic set in as he pictured Jim telling him that this friendship wasn't working out, that even though he was amazing, Jim had other things to think about, like work and his reputation. "Is it your family? I can't promise to like them but I can pretend. I'll go apologize to Roger right now."

"Oswald-"

Oswald desperately scrambled for other things to fix. "Your mom can call me Waldo, it's not like it matters. I don't need her to know who I am since-."

"Oswald, shut up." Jim grabbed his hand and squeezed.

Oswald's brain stopped.

Jim kept holding his hand, giving the clasped palms a strange look. "My aunt is weird but I think she's right about this. I can't not know." He looked up at Oswald. "I like you, Oswald. Not just as my best friend but, as something more. I, I've been thinking about kissing you since the fair."

Silence fell over the room as Oswald stared, his mind trying to compute what was happening.

_Jim likes me. Jim wants to kiss me. Jim likes me. Jim wants to kiss me._

"Please don't be mad." Jim looked terrified, like all his fears were in front of him. "I mean, I've never done this before and I know it's weird and I still want to be your friend even if you don't like me back. I don't want you to hate me."

"I would never hate you," Oswald blurted out, squeezing Jim's hand. "I'm, I'm a little, I don't know what to say."

Jim looked down at the bed and even through the sunburn, Oswald could tell he was blushing. Oswald drew his hand back and wrapped his arms around himself. Everything about Jim was charming, kind, and wonderful and he couldn't understand what would make someone like Jim want to kiss him.

"Why?" Oswald could feel his own face burning at the question. "Why me?"

Jim's face fell and Oswald realized his question sounded less curious and more exasperated.

Grabbing Jim's hand again, Oswald shook his head. "Sorry, that wasn't a 'why is this happening to me' question. I mean 'why do you like me?'" Laying down on the bed, he stared at the ceiling and sighed. “I'm a scrawny, ugly, criminal from the worst neighborhood. Even I know that I'm nothing but trouble for you."

His view filled with Jim's face, his eyes blazing with anger. "Don't ever talk like that."

"It's the truth," Oswald shot back. "I'm not dumb, or blind. Don't think I haven't heard people talk about us when they think I can't hear them. It's fine to be friends with someone like me-"

"Shut up," Jim said, his eyes softening. "Forget everyone else because they don't fucking matter."

Oswald stilled at the shock of Jim cursing.

"Do you like me back?" Those green eyes bored into Oswald's and he couldn't speak.

He nodded.

Jim smiled so bright that Oswald felt blinded. Rolling onto his back so that they both stared at the ceiling, Jim reached over and took Oswald's hand again.

"I like you because you're strong, taking care of your mother the only way available to you. I'm sure a legitimate job wouldn't keep a destroyed apartment building working if you asked. I like you because you're funny, smart, and kind even if you don't want other people to know that." Jim looked over and Oswald stared in shock at the smirk on his face. "I also think you're gorgeous and I'll fight anyone who says different."

Oswald's throat closed up and tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. Nothing in his life could have prepared him for Jim's words and his defenses came shattering down. He wondered if a person could die of happiness.

"Jim, stop playing with your weird friend. I'm making dinner and you need to load the washing machine." Roger's voice outside the door broke the spell.

Jim sighed and slid off the bed. "Be there in a minute."

Not wanting the moment to end, Oswald pulled at Jim's shirt. "You can kiss me. If you want."

Jim's answering smile could have powered Oswald's home for a month. Stepping forward, Jim wrapped his arms around Oswald and hugged him tight.

"When I'm done looking like The Red Rampager, and Roger isn't around to be a total ass, I'll kiss you. I promise."

"Okay," Oswald said, warmth flooding through him at Jim's promise. He thought he might be able to fly home from the happiness bubbling in him.

Drawing back, Jim cupped his cheek. "You're stuck with me now, hope you know that."

Smiling and nodding, Oswald pressed a swift peck to Jim's palm. "I'll try to survive."

 

Leaving Jim's house with his heart floating, Oswald replayed Jim's confession in his mind, along with all his kind words. Worry only settled in as he ran up the steps to his apartment.

_He likes me back. How is this happening? Are we boyfriends now? Does he want sex? Oh God._

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see a text from Jim.

**Jim: Stop worrying. (See, I know you).**

Oswald laughed and shook his head at Jim's (correct) assumption. Whatever happened, Jim wasn't just his friend anymore and as that familiar warm feeling coursed through him, the worries fell away.

**Oswald: See you tomorrow. *hug***

**Jim: *hug***

 


End file.
